


and they were bandmates (oh my god they were bandmates)- promare rock band! au

by melodramatichopelessromantic



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M, No Powers In This AU, Rock Band AU, band au, galolio, oh my god im so weak for this au i cant find any content for it so i have to make it myself, promare rock band au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 13:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22256899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodramatichopelessromantic/pseuds/melodramatichopelessromantic
Summary: Rumours have begun swirling about the Mad Burnish, the increasingly popular rock band fronted by the equally mysterious Lio Fotia. Galo, an amateur, wannabe rocker at best, is determined to make it in the wild world of the underground music scene, and is determined to convince Lio to teach him everything he knows…Little does he know where their unlikely acquaintance will lead.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 44
Kudos: 118





	1. Opening Act (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> i woke up in a cold sweat yelling PROMARE ROCK BAND AU and was really surprised to not find anything?? I think promare has a lowkey punk aesthetic so my pop punk/alternative rock/emo self kind of went crazy for this au ^ ^;; Maybe it's just me but I think this could be a fun time!! This is just the prologue so far just so I could get the idea down! Anyway, I hope you enjoy and maybe join me in rock band au hell bc wow i am so hyped for this lmao. I also have art I've been doing for this but idk if im ready to link my other stuff to my ao3 account, haha. Im gonna stop rambling now and go back to this new hyperfixation lol
> 
> Ps. Comments/suggestions appreciated!! I'm still working out a lot of things for this (plus i really need to watch promare again) so it's gonna take me a hot minute to get this together ^ ^

Five seconds into hearing their set, Galo knew this band was special. From his place in the crowd, he looked up at the stage, the stage lights glaring into his eyes, momentarily blurring his vision. The raging, feral energy of the jostling crowd disoriented him, pushing and shoving him closer to the stage. 

To call the music loud would be an understatement.

The deafening roar of drums and wild electric guitar were kept in line only by a ground-shaking, base line, a pulse that kept the crowd’s hearts pounding, palpitating, racing as the song picked up in speed. The drums helped that pulse along, an aggressive, erratic and yet controlled chaos. But neither the bassist nor the drummer was what had the crowd’s full attention. 

The guitar screeched to a halt and the base line toned down. The drums were reduced to a repetitive, restrained clash of cymbals, giving all the attention to the lead singer who now owned the stage. 

The singer didn’t touch the guitar that now was slung limply across his chest. He didn’t need it. All he needed was the mic and his voice.

Galo had only heard about the enigmatic Lio Fotia, frontman for the Mad Burnish, the newest rockband that had been taking the underground music scene by storm. Otherwise, Galo didn’t know anything about him, let alone what he looked like.

But when he saw him, he knew who it was.

While he was of a smaller stature than Galo expected, he made up for it with an overwhelming, commanding stage presence. He grabbed the mic and threw back his messy, pale green hair, revealing intimidating, fierce violet eyes that watched the crowd with a burning gaze. When he sang, his voice carried over the crowd in a surprisingly melodious tone, conveying such raw emotion with every note that Galo felt his heartstrings being strained over and over again. Everything about Lio’s performance was overwhelming, intense, powerful… Galo had never heard nor seen anything like it before. 

With a pang, he realized that while he thought of himself as a pretty goddamn decent guitarist, this band was in a league of their own. The Mad Burnish had a raw, imposing power that Galo had only dreamed of having. And yet Galo didn’t hold it against Lio and his band. Rather, Galo found himself intrigued.

Before the song finished, he made up his mind. Lio was the person to go to if Galo ever wanted to make it in the underground punk scene that he had thrown himself into.

He needed to talk to him.


	2. Track 1- nobody likes the opening band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo is determined to make a name for himself when he finally gets a chance to play a set at the famed Club Inferno, that chance is taken away from him by the inscrutable up and coming rock band, the Mad Burnish. Despite the crushing disappointment, Galo finds himself inexplicably intrigued by frontman Lio Fotia, and resolves to learn everything he can from him...

The twang of the guitar rose sharply before it echoed and faded, its slightly off-key melody lingering in the air. Sure, Galo hadn’t been completely accurate with the chords, and the tempo was a little erratic, but it sounded pretty good to him. He let the silence hang in the air for a moment, allowing his small audience to process what they had just heard.

He grinned at his friends, sure he had just blown them away. This time, for sure. “So, whatcha think?”

Aina glanced up from her phone from where she was sitting on the couch across from him. “It’s… not bad,” She said, honestly. 

“But it’s not good, either,” Lucia piped in, not bothering to look up from staring at her laptop. 

Aina turned to her sharply. “Hey, I think it’s an improvement from last time!” She insisted. Galo appreciated her tact in being critical, at least. 

“Yeah, but that’s not saying much,” Lucia muttered under her breath.

Galo ignored the uncertainty he felt flickering within himself. “Hey, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” He said, matter of factly. “People don’t go to these concerts expecting a goddamn symphony.”

“I know, but maybe just- I don’t know, polish it a little more?” Aina began, “Just so the song isn’t so all-over-the-place.” She gestured vaguely, much to Lucia’s amusement.

“Punk rock is all over the place!” Galo insisted, again trying to beat down the self-consciousness that was rising within him. 

Lucia finally looked up from her laptop, a sarcastic grin upon her face. “There’s always a reason to that chaos, Galo. You can’t just play random chords haphazardly and call that punk rock.”

Galo was stung by this, unable to be defensive yet again. His eyes were on the floor now. She had a point, he supposed.

“Lucia!” He heard Aina snap, followed by a whack and a yelp from Lucia. 

“Sorry-! Okay, look,” Lucia said, her voice a lot gentler now, “You just need to work on some things. A lot of things. You’ve almost got that chord progression down, but it’s hard to tell with that shitty tempo.”

Galo nodded. He could accept that, at least. “I got all day to get it perfect,” He said, confidence returning. “You guys are coming to the show tonight, right?” 

Aina gave a smile that was a little grimaced. “At Club Inferno? Of course!” 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lucia mused, and Galo ignored any sarcasm that he heard. His phone suddenly dinged, reminding him that he had to head out. 

“I’ll see you guys later, I have to head over for set up,” He said, bragging mildly. He had only recently convinced Kray, the owner of the famous Club Inferno, to let him at least play a short set before one of the headliners that night. Galo didn’t care if he was just an opening act- getting on stage in the first place was all that mattered. 

Tossing his guitar into its old, beat-up case, he headed for the door. 

“Hey, you can’t just leave your stuff here again!” Aina protested, pointing to the mess of amps and wires that now cluttered her living room. “You live next door, it’s not that hard! Besides, don’t you need your amp and stuff tonight?!”

Unfortunately for her, Galo was already heading down the apartment hallway, eager to get to the club as soon as possible. “I’ll do it later! Besides, the club has everything else, I just need this,” He said, gesturing to his guitar case. “Just hold onto it for now,” he called over his shoulder, “Just don’t let Lucia touch any of it!” 

He heard Lucia yell back something about “no promises” but Galo was too wrapped up in thoughts of his first show to respond.

He hailed a cab, and soon found himself at the doors of Club Inferno. This is it, he told himself. I’m finally gonna prove myself. 

Club Inferno could only be described as “grungy-chic.” It had one hell of a reputation- new and upcoming performers were clamoring to do shows there for a reason. Sure, Galo didn’t mind his job as the club’s on-site EMT- if anything, he was proud of that title. And while many of his nights there were spent away from the stage, only heading onto the floor whenever a concert goer passed out or whatever, he always longed to be the one on stage. The one who commanded the crowd, the one who kept them cheering, singing, yelling off-key to whatever he played. 

It took a lot of convincing to get Kray to allow him to even play a short, three-song set. But tonight was it. He would prove to everyone that he was worth something as a musician. 

“Kray!”

Speak of the devil. As he rounded the hallway leading toward the open floor and stage room, he ran into Club Inferno’s owner himself. “I was just looking for you! “ Galo began enthusiastically, “So about my set tonight-“

“Oh, right. About that…” Kray trailed off, somewhat ominously.

Galo was too excited to notice. “I was wondering if I could set up early, just so I could rehearse a little before-“

“I’m sorry, Galo. But I don’t think you’ll be playing tonight.”

Kray said in in a calm, apologetic tone, but those words hit Galo like a punch in the face. Surely he misheard. 

“What… what do you mean?” Galo tried his best to still sound upbeat, but the enthusiasm was draining from him, being replaced with sinking disappointment.

“I didn’t get to mention this earlier, but we booked a pretty big band last minute for tonight, so we’re giving them a whole three-hour set. The demand to see them is pretty high, so I don’t thik we’ll have time for other…performances,” Kray explained, his tone still frustratingly calm. 

Galo blinked, not quite processing what he was being told. “Well, my set isn’t too long, maybe they could use an opener-“

Kray shook his head at this, looking at Galo as if he were a naïve child. “This is the Mad Burnish we’re talking about. I don’t think you’re… quite ready to be an opening act. Especially for them.”

Galo looked at him blankly. The Mad Burnish? Who the hell was that?

Kray must have caught on to Galo’s confusion at laughed a little at this. “Surely you’ve heard of them at least? You don’t realize what a big deal this is for my club, Galo. People are gonna start lining up around the block- they might have started already. We’re not even bothering with openers tonight.”

Galo nodded, feeling numb. Tonight was everything for him, and now his chance to put himself out there was just… taken away from him. “Oh. Um, maybe I can play some other time?” He asked hopefully. He hated how small his voice sounded all of a sudden.

Kray put on his usual businesslike smile and clapped Galo on the shoulder encouragingly. “Keep working at it, Galo. One day, just not tonight.”

Sure, it was meant to be encouraging. But to Galo, it was far from a pep talk.

“How about you take tonight off?” Kray continued, making his way down the hall. “Stay for the show tonight. You’d like the Mad Burnish. You could learn a lot from them.”

Galo muttered something noncommittal as a reply, but it didn’t matter. Kray had disappeared down the hall, leaving Galo alone. 

He glanced up, not noticing he had been staring down at the floor, completely devastated. He had worked so hard, not only practicing his set, but working at convincing Kray to give him that set time over and over until the owner finally conceded. Galo knew it would be near impossible to convince Kray to let him play a single song on that stage. 

All that for nothing. 

He gazed at the now-empty concert hall. No crowds overtook the floor yet, no choruses of shouts and offkey singalongs echoed through the air, but they would soon. They wouldn’t be cheering for Galo, of course. No, their cheers would be for the Mad Burnish, whoever they were. 

Galo’s phone buzzed in his pocket, momentarily distracting him. Aina had just messaged him. 

‘Hey! What time should we be getting to the venue tonight?’ 

Galo sighed, slowly realizing he’d have to break the news to her. 

‘Can’t play tonight. Some band called the Mad Burnish are playing instead.’ His heart wrenched as he hit send. 

To his surprise, Aina called him immediately. 

Galo answered tentatively. “Hello-?”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THE MAD BURNISH WERE PLAYING?!” Aina’s voice rang out from the other end, “ME AND LUCIA HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THEM TO DO A SHOW AROUND HERE FOR MONTHS!” 

“Wow, guess it’s a good thing I’m not playing tonight,” Galo replied sarcastically, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. 

Aina was quiet for a second. “Sorry, Galo. I know this meant a lot to you,” she said, voice softened. “I’m sure you’ll get another chance! We’ll listen to as many rehearsals as you need to do, okay?”

Galo couldn’t help but smile at this. She was the most supportive of his friends, after all. “Thanks. I’ll hold you to that. But listen, you better head over here now if you wanna see the show tonight…”

“What do you mean you’ve never heard of them?!”

Galo rolled his eyes. “Look, I don’t know every band in existence!”

“For someone who wants to be a rocker, it’s kinda sad that you don’t know one of the biggest bands around right now,” Lucia commented dryly.

The three of them were queuing in line outside Club Inferno, a trail of people leading from the club’s doors to well around the block. Since Galo was one of the first to find out about the last-minute show, he managed to get a good spot in line along with Aina and Lucia. They were only a few people down from the club’s entrance, which Aina eyed anxiously. 

“Twenty more minutes,” Lucia reassured her, giving her friend a friendly punch on the shoulder. “We’ll get a good spot, don’t worry.”

“I know, it’s just- ugh, I hate having to scramble to get a good spot on the floor- people are gonna be so damn aggressive to be front and centre…”

“That’s why we got the big guy with us,” Lucia said matter of factly, gesturing to Galo. “If anyone gives us a hard time, Galo can just throw em to the back of the room or something.”

Galo gave her a disapproving look. “I’m an EMT, Lucia. Not a bouncer.”

“And you’re off the clock anyway so it doesn’t matter!” Lucia replied smoothly. Galo did his best to ignore them as his two friends giggled at his frustration. He was quickly distracted by a sudden chorus of thrilled screams and cheers from the crowd. 

“There he is!”

“Oh my god, it’s them-“

Galo glanced around until he saw what had the crowd so amped. A large black tour bus had been parked beside the club for a few hours now, and it seemed the headliners had finally made an appearance. 

“Ah, dammit! Couldn’t get a pic…” Lucia lamented, straining to hold her phone above the sudden crowd. A couple of security guards quickly herded the crowd away from the bus and back toward their spots in line. 

They’re getting this kind of reaction and the show hasn’t even started yet, Galo thought idly to himself. I guess they really are cool…

“Oh my god, I almost got a picture of Lio!” Aina piped up,“I can’t fucking believe it, it’s really him!”

Galo glanced back at his friends. “Lio? Which one is that? The lead singer?” He asked, desperately trying to understand the crowd’s almost feral excitement. 

“Right on, big guy,” Lucia confirmed. “Once you see him perform, you’ll get why everyone lost their shit just now.”

Before he could reply, a security guard finally opened the club’s doors and began ushering the eager concert goers inside. 

Alright, Mad Burnish, Galo thought to himself, feeling oddly competitive. 

Let’s see what you’ve got. 

Galo usually didn’t mind crowds. Hell, he liked them, even. When he was working, he had no issue with navigating among the dozens of dancing, screaming, clashing people in order to pull someone in trouble away from the suffocating mass of an audience. When he saw his favorite bands in concert, he strived to be smack dab in the middle of those raging crowds, losing himself in their collective chaos. But tonight was different. Perhaps he was still salty about not being able to perform. Perhaps he lacked the enthusiasm that the crowd had because he had no idea who he was about to watch. Not much difference, either way.

They did manage to get a good spot on the floor. Not quite at the barricade as Aina had aimed for, but the row just behind. They had a clear view of the centre stage, and luckily for him, he managed to stand firmly against the pushing and shoving of the other concert goers. Aina and Lucia stood just in front of him, Galo towering over them almost protectively. 

He had zoned out as the crowd buzzed around him, people arguing over possible setlists and which band member was best. There was one name he kept hearing, however.

Lio Fotia. The lead singer. A supposedly intimidating, looming figure that dominated the stage with a voice like no other. A young man whose energy was capable of bringing the crowd to tears as easily as making them cheer with unbridled joy. Oh, and apparently, he was pretty damn good looking. 

There’s no way a guy like that is real, Galo thought to himself skeptically. He regained focus as the stage lights dimmed, eventually plunging the room into darkness. A hush fell over the crowd, but there was an underling palpable electricity among them.

The lights flashed back on as quickly as they had faded, and Galo flinched at the sudden brightness. A steady, powerful drum beat had picked up, and the crowd began shrieking. 

Galo got a good look at the drummer first. A somewhat menacing looking young man with wild, red hair commanded the drums with an unfaltering confidence. Next, a low, ground-shaking baseline joined in, like a steady pulse harmonizing with an erratic heartbeat.  
A lanky young man with long black locks plucked at the bass with an almost bored air about him, an energy completely opposite from the drummer’s fiery countenance. 

The crowd was losing it, all right. But it still felt like they were holding their breath. 

Suddenly, there was the unmistakable twang of an electric guitar, and a third figure entered onto the stage. 

The crowd exploded into a chorus of cheers and cries, people reaching and shoving toward the stage. Galo was even surprised at how crazy Aina and Lucia were going. Doing his best to keep his balance against the ever-growing shove of the collective crowd around him, Galo eagerly strained to see the frontman everyone had been screaming about. 

When he finally laid eyes on him, Galo felt his heart jump into his throat.

A slender young man with a mop of green hair walked- no, strode- onto the stage with such an air of assertiveness that Galo, who was usually pretty damn self-assured, actually felt intimidated. A bright red guitar was slung around the frontman’s neck, which he played with practiced ease. 

So that’s him. Lio Fotia, in the flesh.

Galo’s first impressions of the frontman were… mixed. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but a person of a somewhat shorter, lithe stature wasn’t quite it. Lio’s size didn’t make him any less intimidating. Everything about Lio’s look screamed “don’t fuck with me.” Sure, he was wearing a raggedy tank, torn black jeans and an impressive pair of combat boots- usual fair for this kind of music scene. But he owned it somehow. He didn’t look like he was just wearing it for the aesthetic. The outfit complimented him, adding to his already commanding presence. 

Looks aside, Lio carried that domineering vivacity all on his own. As he took his place on stage, he didn’t smile. No playful introduction was spoken to the cheering fans. He simply looked over the crowd with a severe, violet gaze that seemed both intensely focused and aloof at the same time. 

The guitar intensified along with the crowd’s energy, and after a heart-pounding intro, Lio let the guitar’s twang reverberate and fade as he took the mic in one hand. 

Lio’s voice wasn’t quite what Galo had been expecting, either.

Aina and Lucia had offered to show him some clips of the Mad Burnish’s previous performances while they were waiting in line, but Galo refused. He wanted to see and hear them for the first time live and in their element, not on some crappy video of a previous show. 

He had heard some of the people in the crowd discussing Lio earlier. How his voice was beyond beautiful, how it carried the crowd in such a way it was almost tangible. 

None of their descriptions did him justice. 

As much as Galo hated to admit it, Lio’s melodious voice had a way of pulling at your heart, playing with your pulse until you felt the music in the marrow of your goddamn bones. 

The melody he sang started off softly enough, melancholy lyrics juxtaposed with an upbeat tune. Galo didn’t know the song, but he knew that as soon as the show was over, he would be spending hours finding every track on the Mad Burnish’s discography. 

Lio’s voice carried over the crowd, the song becoming increasingly frustrated, angry, aggressive, leading to a dramatic, fiery chorus that the crowd sang along with in an overpowering cacophony of voices. He had one hell of a vocal range too, and expertly entwined emotion into every note he sang. 

Galo barely noticed when the song ended. He was beyond impressed. His heart twinged with- what was it, jealousy? No, surely not that. Envy? Respect? He wasn’t sure. But dammit, Galo was almost glad that he didn’t get to open for them.

I’d be laughed out of here, he realized with a jolt, there’s no way I could compare to them. 

When the drums trailed off and the baseline faded, the emptiness left by the temporary lack of music was filled with raucous applause. Galo watched as Lio gently placed the mic back onto its stand. He brushed his messy bangs aside as he leaned on the mic stand, ready to finally address the crowd. 

“It’s an honor to be playing at Club Inferno,” he began, his voice surprisingly soft with the slightest hint of a rasp to it. Galo was a little taken aback at how formal Lio’s tone was. He kept waiting for the usual spiel that frontmen usually fed the crowd- Demands for cheers, circle pits, general insanity- but Lio requested none of that. 

Instead, with his intense expression scanning the crowd, and his strangely gentle speaking voice, Lio addressed the crowd more like a business partner than a group of rowdy fans. 

“May I introduce our drummer, Gueira-“

Raucous cheering once again.

-“Meis, our bassist-“

The crowd shouted enthusiastically in response once more.

“-and I’m Lio. Lio Fotia. We are the Mad Burnish.”

The crowd roared wildly. 

In that moment, lost in the rambunctious clamoring of the crowd, Galo knew. 

He had to talk to Lio- learn from him, somehow convince him to teach him everything he knew. Lio was who Galo strived to be, and he wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away from him.

But for now, he let himself get lost in the music.

The three-hour show flew by, and before he knew it, the Mad Burnish were taking their bows and walking off the stage, much to the disappointment of the crying fans, begging for an encore. It had been a long time since a concert had left Galo feeling so exhilarated, so alive. 

“Holy shit. They’re so much better live,” Aina said breathlessly. 

“I told you so!” Lucia said with a grin.

Galo was barely paying attention to them, however. He was already eyeing the side exit that he knew would lead to the backstage. Surely he could get away with slipping past security since he worked at the club most other nights. 

“Um- I’ll catch up with you guys later-“Galo said quickly before sneaking through the crowd with an experienced agility. 

“Galo? Where are you going? Hey-!” He heard Aina calling after him with confusion, but he would have to explain later. 

He knew the club inside out. Luck must have been on his side because somehow, he managed to sneak out back just as security was ushering Lio and his bandmates back to their tour bus.

“Lio-!” 

Galo didn’t realize he had called out to him. Lio didn’t even flinch.

A security guard held him back. “Whoah, buddy. Get back inside-“

“I- I just need to talk to him real quick!” Galo insisted, not fazed by the security guard’s impatient glare.

“What’s this?” The bassist- Meis- had paused before following Guerra and Lio onto the bus. “Lio, we’ve got another crazy fan who wants to talk to you.”

“Don’t tease him, Meis,” Guerra replied impishly, “You know how fans get sometimes.”

Something in their tone pissed Galo off. He wasn’t about to be talked down to, not now. “Hey, I’ve never even heard of you guys before tonight!” he snapped, “I just wanna know how- how I can get to your level-“

Guerra and Meis looked at each other briefly before breaking into a fit of laughter.

“Listen pal, we’re not teachers or anything,” Meis chided, unsuccessfully trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. 

“I wasn’t asking you,” Galo said firmly, “I wanted to ask Lio.”

“Did somebody say my name?”

Galo glanced up as the smaller yet not unimposing figure from before strode off the bus, looking at Galo with those intense lavender eyes. 

The security guard, seemingly unsure of what to do in this now-awkward situation, stepped aside as Lio motioned for him to do so. The frontman walked confidently toward Galo, and Galo was surprised that Lio barely came up to his chest. 

“Something tells me you’re not like our usual fans demanding an autograph,” Lio said bluntly, his gaze curious. “What do you want?”

Galo was caught off guard by how Lio got to the point so quickly. It took him a moment to gather his words- Lio’s intense stare and didn’t help.

“I was just- I’ve been trying to play a gig at Club Inferno for months and- fuck, how do you do it?” Galo was surprised at the unexpectedly flustered tone in his voice. Lio was indeed quite beautiful. Yes, that was the word. His features were delicate, but he wore an expertly crafted, intimidating expression that almost distracted from that beauty.

Almost. 

Galo did his best to ignore the sudden pounding in his chest. 

“Hmm. So you think you have what it takes, then,” It was more of a statement than a question. Lio gave the slightest hint of a smile. “What do you play?”

“Guitar,” Galo replied quickly.

“Funny, I play that too.”

Was that a joke? Galo laughed anyway, and then immediately regretted it once he noticed Lio watching him with amusement. Not quite a fond amusement, but the amusement one feels when watching someone do something hilariously stupid.

Great, he thinks I’m an idiot, Galo scolded himself internally.

“Boss, come on. Don’t waste your time on this moron-“ Guerra prompted, but Lio waved him off. 

“Look. Like Meis said earlier, we’re not here to teach anything,” Lio said firmly. He must have seen the disappointment written on Galo’s face, because he continued.

“ But if you want, there may be an after party at a certain Club Machina across town. And there may or may not be an open mic happening.” Lio said smoothly, a note of teasing in his voice. “It’s not quite an open invitation, however. But if you tell em I invited you, they’ll let you in. Probably.” 

Galo’s head spun. Did the lead singer of the Mad Burnish just invite him to a party? He must be joking, Galo told himself. Unless…

“I- I’d love to!” Galo sputtered. Lio smirked and began heading back to the tour bus. He could feel Lio’s bandmates watching him with uncertainty, and maybe a little spite. Regardless, they followed Lio without a word. 

“One more thing,” Lio called, glancing back, “I don’t think I caught your name.”

“It’s Galo- Galo Thymos!” he hoped with every ounce of his being that his response didn’t sound too over eager.

Lio smirked subtly once again. “Galo Thymos. I’ll remember that.”

Galo was too spaced out to notice Lio board with the others, the tour bus pulling away just as the rowdy crowd made their way from the concert hall.

A cold, late night breeze swept over him, snapping him out of it. 

Galo felt a new-found sense of purpose flicker within himself.

Maybe Lio was joking. Maybe there was no party, and it was just a little joke he was playing in order to falsely get Galo’s hopes up. Maybe there was a party, but if Galo showed up, he would be turned away regardless.

Either that, or Lio had just given Galo the opportunity to get his foot in the door.

Galo wasn’t about to let that opportunity go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *crawls out of hell for this au*
> 
> Chapter title insp from "nobody likes the opening band" by idkhow but they found me (a jam, 10000/10 would recommend)
> 
> OKAY SO
> 
> 1) i barely proofread this, I'm just doing this for fun and also have no clue how bands and stuff work irl (I'm just going off my personal experience from going to a bunch of concerts lmao)
> 
> 2) god i'm so far in promare hell nothing can save me now
> 
> hope you like it! comments appreciated <3


	3. Track 2- hey kid, you've got a lot of potential

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo decides to go to Lio's party on a whim- but sudden overwhelming stage fright ultimately scares him off from finishing his first performance in front of a crowd. Lio, feeling guilty and responsible for this humiliating experience, is determined to make it up to him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey remember when i stopped writing fanfiction? me niether.
> 
> anyway, comments are super appreciated! i could really use some encouragement lately lmao.  
> I hope everyone is staying safe out there <3
> 
> chapter title/song insp- the party scene by all time low

Lio had no idea why he did what he just did. 

Invite a random, moronic fan to an afterparty? Sure, he had meant it as a joke. But why make such a joke in the first place? While Lio was done with how invasive and obsessive some of his fans acted toward him, he never would’ve teased one like that. He had seen that person’s- Galo’s- eyes light up when Lio offhandedly mentioned the party. Specifically, when he mentioned the open-mic portion of it.

Why Lio had even agreed to go to a party like that after a three-hour set, he had no clue. 

But back to that unsual interaction. There was something oddly… intriguing about that Galo Thymos. Lio had broken it down to a list of sorts:

1) Galo had apparently never heard of his band before their show. Lio didn’t want to brag, but that was definitely unusual, especially for those who were in (or wanted to be in) the local music scene.  
2) The sheer determination that Galo had- his reckless attitude toward becoming a rocker- was beyond naïve. He seemed different from the cliché dreamer who fantasized about making it big. Galo’s energy, however reckless, was refreshing, somehow.  
3) Galo was clearly an idiot, and a brash one at that. Maybe that’s what made him so easy to tease. Lio would be lying if he denied the whole interaction left him fondly amused. 

And so, as Lio stared out the tour bus’ window, these thoughts weighed on his mind. Gueira and Meis were oddly quiet. He could feel them watching him, curiously. 

“I know he won’t show up, “ Lio said coolly, aware of what they were thinking. “I was just teasing him.”

They were quiet for a moment. 

“I bet twenty bucks he shows up,” Gueirra said after a while. 

“Oh my god, I bet he can’t play for shit!” Meis added, obviously entertained at the thought of a naïve wannabe rocker playing for a bunch of professionals. 

Lio wasn’t sure why, but he felt a small flash of irritation at this. 

“We were wannabes too, once,” he said, a little more sternly than he intended. “Look where we are now.”

That shut them up for a bit. 

“Boss, we’re just saying. That guys a complete idiot,” Meis began, carefully, “You don’t actually think he’s gonna make a name for himself, do you?”

“Of course not,” Lio scoffed, “But it’d be interesting to watch him try.”

The tour bus pulled up to Club Machina and the three of them stepped out, quickly being ushered to the deafening noise of the club within. A quick glance at his phone told him that it was nearing 1 AM. Lio did his best to ignore the gnawing fatigue. Gueira and Meis loved parties like this- a crowded room and blaring music was still fun for musicians, especially when they weren’t always the ones on stage for once. 

Yet if he were being completely honest, Lio held a certain amount of disdain for these events. Sure, partying with his bandmates- his best friends- was fun. Hell, they knew how to have a good time.

But it got old after a while.

He had already lost the other two in the crowd. Lio suddenly found himself so zoned out that the ground-shaking stereos barely registered with him. He gave generic, polite nods of acknowledgements to the partygoers who swarmed about him, offering him congratulations on his latest show and other praise.

Parties like this were full of two-faced fakes who didn’t mean that praise. Lio knew a lot of these people just wanted connections. They wanted to use him, his talents, his name, anything for their own benefit. So Lio didn’t engage in conversations lasting more than a few minutes before he would find an excuse to slip away and observe the party from a quiet corner.

Lio knew this added to his reputation. He was all too aware of what people thought of him- the brooding, enigmatic Lio Fotia. The arrogant, cold and judgmental frontman of the obnoxious Mad Burnish. Harsh assumptions, but Lio wasn’t bothered by them much anymore. These were just misunderstandings, after all. Boredom and exhaustion could be easily mistaken for aloof indifference. If that vibe was going to make people give him his personal space, Lio would carry on that persona as much as he needed to. 

With a sigh, Lio glanced down at the drink he forgot he was holding. He could hear Gueira and Meis half-yelling some cheesy lyrics on the club’s small stage, engaging the crowd in one hell of a karaoke sing along.

I’ll leave it to them, Lio resigned. He could count on his party animal bandmates to distract the crowd when he needed them to. That way, he always had an opportunity to escape into some much-needed solitude for a bit.

Sneaking away from the rowdy crowd, Lio made his way onto the club’s small but empty balcony. The cold night air managed to clear his head a little. Before long, Lio’s thoughts wandered back to the man he had briefly met just a few hours before. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about that unabashed naiveite in Galo’s eyes. There was a fire in them that Lio had once. But that burning passion he once had for music- the rush he would get the moment he stepped on stage, that high he rode on as he watched the crowd go wild- all of that was starting to lose its shine for him. 

He would have to discuss that with Gueira and Meis soon. 

He knew it wouldn’t be a fun conversation.

*****

Galo stepped out of the cab, and looking up at the imposing doors of Club Machina, he almost decided to turn right back around and head home. He knew he’d regret it if he ran away now. And so, he did his best to stride toward the club’s guarded entrance with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” The guard cut him off before Galo could say a word. 

“I- I was invited to this- this party,” Galo fumbled, mentally kicking himself for sounding so uncharacteristically diffident. “Lio Fotia asked me to come here.”

The guard snorted skeptically. “Oh really. Look, buddy, that’s what they all say-“

Galo was about to lose all hope when he heard a couple familiar voices within. 

“Well shit! He took the boss’ invite after all!” Guiera mused, stumbling from the club’s closed doors with Meis following close behind him. 

“He must be one hell of an idiot after all,” came Meis’ snarky reply.

The guard whipped around at this, clearly confused. “You know this guy?” He asked dubiously, gesturing to where Galo stood awkwardly. 

“You could say that,” Meis drawled, “The boss did invite him, technically-“

“-We just didn’t think he’d actually show up,” Gueira added. Galo noticed their faces were flushed- they were definitely shitfaced. 

“So are you gonna let me in already or what?” Galo said in what he hoped was an aloof tone. To his surprise, Guiera strode up to him and, amiably throwing one arm around him, pulled Galo past the guard and inside. Galo glanced back at the guard who simply shrugged, clearly not about to argue.

“Alright, rookie, Guiera said, a note of challenge in his voice, “You wanna prove yourself? Knock yourself out.”

“You’re gonna let me play?” Galo piped up hopefully, taking a step back in surprise. He tried to ignore their sneering expressions, not wanting to let his confidence falter again.

“Sure thing, rookie,” Meis said dryly, apparently finalizing Galo’s new nickname. “But don’t come crying to us if the crowd eats you alive.”

*****

Galo followed the pair as they maneuvered through the crowd. Galo did his best to ignore the curious stares of the strangers that surrounded him. I guess I stand out here, he thought nervously. He looked around desperately for any sign of Lio, but not once did he catch a glimpse of him. Somehow, he figured, it would be a lot less nerve-wracking if Lio were there. After all, he was the one that Galo wanted to impress in the first place.

As Meis and Guiera led them toward the club’s tiny stage, the loud chatter of the crowd began to die down. Galo noticed with unease that a mic and some guitars were set out on stage, waiting to be put to use.Meis jumped on stage with Gueira following close behind, and, as if on cue, the music faded to an uneasy silence. 

Meis grabbed the mic and immediately called the crowd’s attention. 

“We got a special performance tonight,” he announced, getting some interested murmurs from the crowd. “Get up here, rookie.”

Galo could feel everyone watching him now, their judgmental gazes burning into him. 

Regardless, he strode on stage and joined the others, doing his best to look like he belonged there. 

It took him a moment to realize that Guiera had handed him a guitar, fully tuned and ready to go. It was a beautiful thing, a sleek black instrument far newer and more expensive than the second-hand one Galo was used to. 

He glanced back at Guiera and Meis, blinking in stunned confusion. 

“What’re you waiting for? You gonna play something or what?”

Despite his shaking hands, Galo held the guitar in position and took a deep breath. All those eyes were on him now, waiting for him to make a mistake, to fumble over the fretboard and make a fool of himself. And still, he couldn’t spot Lio in the crowd of onlookers.

Fuck it, he thought, his last bit of confidence finally taking the reins.

Galo even forgot to introduce himself before he began to play.

*****

It took Lio a moment to register what he was witnessing when he finally decided to rejoin the party. He knew something was up when nobody payed him any mind as he slipped back inside, lingering on the outskirts of the crowd. Usually he didn’t go unnoticed for long before someone dragged him into another unwanted conversation, but this time, the crowd was oddly quiet, focused on an unfamiliar performer on the club’s small stage.  
Lio did a double take. That performer wasn’t so unfamiliar, after all.

You surpise me yet again, Galo Thymos, Lio thought, an amused smirk creeping upon his face. Galo was playing an upbeat sounding song with a quick beat, but there was a noticeably nervous undertone to it. Stage fright, Lio realized. God, he really is new to this.

Lio noticed a couple things right off the bat. First off, Galo really had to work on his sense of rhythm- it was erratic and practically nonexistent, but he got away with it mostly, somehow. Second, Galo had a voice. Nothing special, but a lot better than Lio was expecting. An unconventional beauty of sorts. 

Finally, despite the nervous energy, Galo was getting through the song without pausing or having to start over at any point, again blowing Lio’s expectations right outta the water. 

Maybe I misjudged him, Lio considered. At that moment, Galo looked up from where he had been concentrating on the chord progression, making eye contact with Lio from across the room. Galo’s voice trailed off, and he fumbled with the chords before stopping abruptly before the song was complete. 

Now, everyone’s eyes were back on Lio.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Lio said cooly, attempting to ease the sudden tension that overwhelmed the room. 

The crowd glanced back at Galo, who had quickly stood up and slung the guitar off, placing it back on its stand. “I- yeah. That’s it,” Galo said hurriedly before jumping off stage and toward the club’s exit. 

Lio watched him in confusion- what happened to the brash, loud idiot from earlier? Galo was playing pretty damn well before he noticed Lio- it was as if Lio’s presence had chased the other’s boldness out of him. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Lio found himself maneuvering through the still confused crowd and toward the exit, following Galo close behind. 

He could hear the crowd begin to talk as he exited the party, some saying kind comments about Galo’s performance, and others unashamedly bashing him. Lio wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly knew he had to get away from there and make sure Galo was okay. 

I dragged him into this, Lio thought with a pang of guilt, Why the fuck did I mess with him like that?!

Lio ran out onto the empty streets, the cold air of early morning sending a sudden chill through him. He spotted him finally, at the end of the block. 

“Hey-!”

Galo flinched and turned around, holding cell phone up to one ear. “Uh- Aina? I- I’ll call you back.”

The phone blipped, and there was silence. Galo looked at him, completely dumbfounded, an air of uncharacteristic nervousness still around him. 

“Nice performance back there,” Lio began, surprised at the honesty in his voice. “Why’d you stop?”

Galo looked away, a self-conscious gesture that didn’t seem to suit him. 

“It was stupid,”Galo said quietly. “Your buddies were right. I’m gonna get eaten alive out here.”

“Gueira and Meis? Look, nobody actually expected you to show up,” Lio said, half-teasing. “I’m sure they were just hazing you-“

“Listen, I’ve wanted to perform like that for years,” Galo interrupted, “But I- I should’ve known it was a fucking mistake. I just left before everyone laughed me outta there.”

Lio was taken aback by this, suddenly thinking back to the less than kind comments he heard among the crowd as he left moments earlier. But Lio was used to that kind of thing by now. 

He had almost forgotten how much those words hurt in the beginning.

“I think you did pretty well, for a rookie,” Lio said gently. He meant it.

“Fuck, that’s all I am, huh?” Galo snapped, bitterly, again catching Lio off-guard. “I’m just an inexperienced idiot who’s trying to put myself out there, but apparently that’s fucking laughable, isn’t it? Is that why you wanted me to come here? So you and your rock star friends could have a little laugh?”

It took Lio a moment to gather the right words for a response. “Galo I- I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant at all-“

“Whatever, I get it. I’ll stick to my day job.” The bitterness hadn’t left Galo’s voice as he turned to walk away, heading toward a cab that had pulled up to the curb. 

“Wait-“

Lio ran up to him, grabbing Galo’s shoulder before he could step into the cab. Galo glanced at him irritably, an expression that quickly turned to confusion.

“Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“I’m giving you my number, moron. But I’ll kill you if you hand it out to anyone else.”

Galo stared at Lio blankly as he quickly typed his number into the contacts list.

“I owe you one for this,” Lio said as he handed the phone back over. “Text me and I’ll make it up to you.” At this, Lio noticed the enthusiasm from earlier flicker in Galo’s eyes.

“You- you’ll teach me, then?” Galo said excitedly.

Lio did his best to ignore the creeping apprehension that suddenly washed over him. “Yeah. Sure. If it makes up for me being an asshole earlier.” Lio held his hand out to the other, offering a handshake as a sign of peace. 

He didn’t expect Galo to take it, not after Lio had acted toward him since they met just the night before. 

He sure as hell didn’t expect Galo to hug him. 

It was a quick embrace, but holy shit, the man was strong. Lio was suddenly crushed against the Galo’s broad chest before stumbling back, stunned.

“You won’t regret this!” Galo said confidently, before jumping back in the cab.

Lio watched in a silent daze as the car drove away. 

There was definitely something intriguing about that Galo Thymos. When Lio had met him just hours before, the man was just an oddity, an unusually determined wannabe that Lio would have just dismissed as an over eager fool. But in the span of one night, Galo proved Lio’s expectations wrong over and over again. 

Lio wasn’t sure what it was, but something was drawing them together. And somehow, Lio didn’t mind this at all.


	4. Track 3- you're the only voice i wanna hear in my head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Lio begins to teach him some guitar basics, Galo realizes there's more to the mysterious Lio Fotia than he first thought.
> 
> Lio, in turn, recognizes an inspiring determination within Galo- something that leaves him inexplicably intrigued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh BOY I really went ham with this chapter ^ ^; I've gotten so many kind comments on this so far, thank you so much! These comments really mean a lot to me! 
> 
> also i uh may or may not have snuck a reference to Nexus in here lmao what a jam 
> 
> chapter title/ song insp- in bloom by neck deep

“Lemme get this straight.”

“Aina, I told you-“

“-You fucking. Ditched us to go talk to Lio Fotia. And he invited you to a party. A party you went to. And performed at.” Skepticism and admiration tinged Aina’s words as she glared at Galo.

“Yes! I’m telling you that’s exactly what happened!” Galo insisted. He winced at the pounding headache he had woken up with, likely thanks to the few hours he spent attempting to sleep after crashing on his couch as soon as he got back from Club Machina the night before. Aina and Lucia had invaded his apartment, eager for the details and seemingly ignoring how he was flopped over his couch, trying to catch up on some much-needed rest. 

“Holy shit. When you ran off like that we were actually worried,” Aina scolded, “We thought you were crying or something.”

Ignoring the pain in his head, Galo sat up indignantly. “I was not crying!” he snapped, “Why the hell would I be crying after going to some concert?!”

Lucia gave a familiar teasing grin. “Oh Lio, you’re such an amazing musician, how could I ever compare to you?!” She drawled dramatically, pretending to faint. “I’m so ashamed, a simple guitarist like me is not worthy of your presence-“ 

Her theatrical performance was met with uncontrollable laughter from Aina and a ticked off glare from Galo.

“You guys are just mad I didn’t introduce you to him,” he said snidely.

“YES!” the other two said in uncanny unison. Galo rolled his eyes and flopped back on the couch. 

“Okay, okay. Sorry. I just- I wanted to get my foot in the door, you know?” Galo shut his eyes, but images of Lio flashed across his mind. His stern, violet stare, the way he walked over the stage like he owned it…

That, and the different side of Lio he didn’t expect to meet. Galo knew he irrationally lashed out at Lio the night before. So what if Lio was just teasing him? The whole mess was partially Galo’s fault too- nobody expected Galo to show up at Lio’s party like that, not even Galo himself. 

Galo didn’t want to remember what it was like playing on that small stage in Club Machina. It wasn’t a roaring high like he had expected- maybe it was the unexpectedness of it, or the extra judgmental stares from an already snooty crowd. He was too busy thinking about Lio’s offer to teach him to really focus on what happened at the club. 

Oh right. Lio had offered to teach Galo how to play. How to be a musician. A rocker. 

His headache suddenly dissipated, and Galo shot up from where he was lying down and scrambled to grab his phone. 

“What are you…?” Aina trailed off. Galo ignored his friends’ curious stares as he anxiously scrolled through his contacts list.

There’s no way he actually… I must have dreamed that part… Galo’s mind spun as he did his best to recollect his last interaction with Lio. 

The Lio that had apologized to him after the mess at Club Machina was not the same Lio who strutted on stage, glaring at everyone with an aloof yet intense gaze. This Lio- the person who had chased after Galo when he had run away from the disparaging crowd, the person who had gone out of his way to make sure Galo was alright- was more… human, somehow. Galo knew the act on stage was a persona, but still. Getting to see the lesser known side of Lio Fotia hours from first meeting him felt…special. Like Galo was let in on some sort of secret. 

His breath caught in his throat and his heart began pounding in a way that was starting to become unfortunately familiar.

Lio had left his number in Galo’s phone after all. 

“What are you looking at-?” Aina asked, peeking over Galo’s shoulder. He immediately flinched and turned off the phone’s screen.

“Nothing!” He replied shakily.

“What, did you get Lio’s number or something?” Lucia teased, joining Aina in attempting to look at Galo’s phone.

Galo was silent for a heartbeat too long.

“Holy shit.”

“Lucia, please don’t” Galo pleaded, dread rising in him.

“Holy SHIT.” Lucia and Aina exchanged gleeful, disbelieving looks before turning back to Galo.

He hoped he didn’t look as embarrassed as he felt.

“Dude. I thought you just talked to him. I didn’t realize you-“ 

Galo cut her off before Aina could continue.

“IT’S NOT LIKE THAT-“

Lucia giggled evilly. “Oh, not like what?” Damn, Galo, a lot of people would kill to get to talk to Lio one on one like that, let alone get the guy’s number.”  
“Listen,” Galo said seriously, “Okay, fine. We talked after my… performance, and yeah, he gave me his number. But he’ll kill me if I hand it out to anyone. So don’t even think about asking.”

Aina gave a reassuring smile. “Of course. We’re just teasing. Besides, we’re fans, sure, but we’re not creeps.” Lucia nodded in agreement, though there was still a jeering hint in her grin.

“So, are you gonna tell us why he gave you his number?” Lucia prompted

Galo couldn’t help but feel a little proud when he replied. 

“He said he’s… well, he’s gonna teach me.

The others gawked at him.

“Teach you? Teach you what?” Aina began, confused.

“Music, of course! How to perform and stuff!” Galo surprised himself with the sudden enthusiasm in his voice. 

He waited for the other’s responses, and for a moment he was afraid they would just laugh at him again.

“That’s… that’s pretty amazing,” Aina said after a moment, “He must really think you have potential.”

“You don’t have to act surprised,” he remarked sarcastically, but Galo wasn’t really upset. Lio goddamn Fotia was gonna teach him everything he knew. At least, that’s what Galo hoped. 

The momentary silence was broken by Aina’s phone going off.

“Shit. Lucia, we should go,” she said briskly before heading to the door. 

“Wait- I don’t even know how to message him!” Galo called after the others as they began to make their leave. 

“Let’s see, you type a message onto your phone and you hit send!” Lucia snarked, her teasing tone back in full force. 

Aina suppressed a laugh. “Galo, it’s not like you to overthink things,” She said gently. 

Galo glanced back at his phone uncertainly.

“It’s not like him to think,” he heard Lucia mutter, but he ignored her barbs this time. 

“Look, we gotta head out. But give us an update later, okay?” Aina called back at him before she and Lucia disappeared down the hall. 

“Sure, if there are any,” Galo said, a little miserably.

Flopping back on the couch, he stared at the empty conversation between Lio and himself.

Just say hi, Galo told himself. Wait, no- Hey? Hello? No. What’s up? Fuck.

After what felt like ages, Galo finally settled on a quick “hey” before awaiting response.

He’s not gonna reply, Galo realized with a sudden rush of disappointment, I… I shouldn’t bother him anyway… 

With a defeated sigh, he placed his phone on the cushion beside him.

Galo nearly leapt off the couch when it suddenly buzzed.

He picked up the phone shakily, not wanting to get his hopes up. No way, he told himself, there’s no way he…

One unread message from one Lio Fotia.

‘Hey. So did you want those lessons or no?’

Lio was surprisingly fast at replying. And straight to the point to boot.

All apprehension suddenly left him as Galo eagerly replied (though he did his best not to sound too eager.)

‘Yeah. When and where?’

‘You free today?’

Galo thought he would pass out before he replied with a simple “yes.”

******

Lio Fotia had invited Galo to his apartment. Less than a day after meeting him for the first time.

Galo stood awkwardly in the apartment’s sleek lobby. His guitar slung over his back, Galo did his best to at least look like he knew what he was doing. But in an unfamiliar place, even the presence of his beloved guitar didn’t bring much comfort.

It was a complex across town, in a fairly nice neighbourhood. The building itself felt fairly new. At the same time, it wasn’t anything fancy. It felt…normal. Strangely normal.

Of course it’s normal! Lio’s just a person too, Galo scolded himself, his mind in a daze as Lio buzzed him in. He was spaced out as he wandered in, taking the elevator to one of the top floors before following Lio’s instructions to go head down a certain hall. Lio’s place would be at the end of it.

The door opened before Galo could knock.

“Hey.” Lio looked up at him, his tone casual. He had traded in his leather jacket and torn jeans from the night before for a loose-fitting black tee and shorts. Pajamas, basically. Galo almost felt overdressed. There was no way Lio had gotten more than a couple hours of sleep, much like Galo. Yet, you wouldn’t be able to tell that Lio had been out performing and partying all night. 

Galo mumbled a greeting, mentally kicking himself for already getting flustered. If Lio noticed, he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead he wordlessly gestured for Galo to come in before shutting the door behind them. 

“Can I get you a drink or something?” Lio asked as Galo looked around the apartment. 

“No thanks,” he replied, voice trailing off as he took in these new surroundings. Lio’s decorative style was definitely minimal. Or maybe, minimal in comparison to the mess that was Galo’s place. Simple, sleek furnishings lined the open concept living room. A rack holding an impressive collection of CD’s and records was stood beside an impressive looking sound system. A few stands held some very expensive looking guitars that stood alongside a mess of amps and wires. 

Lio picked up one of said guitars and plugged it in to an amp before taking a seat on the couch.

“So…?” Lio looked up at Galo expectantly, a flicker of amusement in those still-intimidating violet eyes. 

“Oh!” Galo fumbled with his guitar case before taking a hesitant seat on an armchair across from Lio. These valleys of silence between them kept throwing him off- while Lio seemed completely relaxed, for Galo it was as if he were holding his breath. 

I can’t fuck up here, his mind buzzed, I have to show him I’m worth something, somehow-

Lio snickered, snapping Galo back to attention.

“You might wanna plug that in if you wanna hear anything,” Lio pointed out with a smirk.

“Of course, sorry-“ Galo again fumbled as he plugged in his guitar, mentally panicking over handling Lio’s obviously pricey equipment. Lio had begun to absently strum over the strings, these bemused chords already sounding better than anything Galo had played in his life. This evolved into an intricate progression over the strings, immediately enrapturing Galo in this impromptu performance. 

He watched as Lio’s elegant hands practically danced over the instrument, the melody pouring out of the guitar in a graceful stream of sound. Once again, Galo felt his heart twinge along with the plucked strings. Lio’s domineering gaze was now focused solely on the guitar he held. When Lio was onstage, those eyes felt uncaring, distant. But now Galo could see there was a fire in them, a blaze that seemed only barely contained by the song he meticulously intoned from the guitar. 

The song trailed off, and as if snapped out of a spell, Lio glanced back at Galo with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, got distracted.”

“No no, keep playing if you want-“ Galo sputtered, his own guitar sitting forgotten in his lap.

That amused smirk returned to Lio’s face. “Thanks, but I don’t think you came here to have a private concert, right? So. What do you wanna know? I got a few hours until I gotta head back out.”

“Everything,” Galo said breathlessly before he thought twice about what he was saying.

Lio blinked before laughing gently. Even his laugh was melodious.

“Either I got the wrong first impression of you or you’re really out of it today,” Lio remarked, “You’ve been a hell of a lot quieter than I thought you would be.”

Galo found himself caught off guard by this observation. People never described him as quiet. Was Lio’s presence chasing the confidence out of him again, just as he did the night before? 

“How bout this. Just play, like you did last night. Prove to me you know a few basic chords, at least,” Lio suggested, pointing at Galo’s guitar. “You do know what a chord is, right?”

Galo felt the familiar mild flash of irritation he felt whenever he was talked down to. 

“Of course, I do, I’m not a complete moron,” he snapped indignantly, straightening and readying his hands over the frets. 

“Now that’s what I was expecting,” Lio mused, still giving him that knowing smirk. 

“I didn’t realize you were expecting anything from someone you’ve barely known for a day,” Galo shot back, feeling a little triumphant at what he thought of as a clever comeback.

“I suppose. You did leave quite the impression, though. And I’m sure today won’t be the last I see of you,” Lio drawled.

And again, Galo was left stumbling over his words as his heart pounded madly in his chest. 

Galo muttered something noncommittal as he forced himself to ignore Lio’s amused gaze. 

“So are you gonna play, or-“

“Fine.This is gonna suck. But I’m gonna play it anyway,” Galo waited for a snarky reply, but when he got nothing but a respectful, waiting silence, he hesitantly began the same chord progression he had played the night before. Slower this time. A little more to the rhythm. 

After every strum, he kept waiting for Lio to stop him, to say some harsh criticism or snide comment. But Lio simply listened, leaning over his guitar with a sleepy but not uninterested expression. 

Galo trailed off as the song wrapped up, unsure of what to do next.

“Is this the part where you laugh me out of here and tell me to stick to my day job?” Galo muttered, bracing himself.

To his surprise, Lio looked a little hurt by that comment. “I said I’d teach you,” Lio reproached, “Contrary to common belief I’m not like those judgy pricks at the club last night. Just like how I don’t entirely think you’re just an idiot newbie even though my bandmates have already dismissed you as one.”

Once again, straight to the point. And brutally honest. Galo immediately regretted nearly telling Lio off again. 

“I’m not out to get you, Galo,” Lio assured, as if reading Galo’s mind. “You’re not that bad. Just… rough around the edges, to say the least.”

Galo found himself smiling. “Rough around the edges, huh? I can live with that.

The tension that threatened to come between them moments before was suddenly replaced with a lighthearted familiarity. 

He talks to me like he’s known me for years, Galo thought, warmly. 

Lio reached out and placed an unexpectedly cold hand over Galo’s left hand, where it now clutched the guitar’s neck in a nervous grip. A gentle but firm touch. Those elegant fingers gently adjusted the angle of Galo’s wrist. Musician’s hands, Galo thought idly.  
“More like this,” Lio instructed, “There. You don’t have to hold it in a death grip. Now rhythmically, you still got a long way to go…”

Galo held on to every word Lio said, like notes in a song he never wanted to forget. 

*****

Their hours together flew by. Over and over again they went through basic chord progressions, working until Galo finally had some sense of what rhythm was. “Music isn’t just hard and fast. You have to let it breathe a little too,” Lio told him. Galo couldn’t help but feel astounded at how profound these snippets of wisdom sounded, as if Lio were some classically trained, sagacious musician and not simply a young rock star. 

Much to Galo’s surprise, Lio was never condescending or impatient with him, even though Galo was pretty sure any other teacher would be fed up with him in minutes. He didn’t snap at Galo when he messed up the chord progressions, not even when Galo was getting irritated with himself. Lio even began humming simple melodies over the chords, that unexpectedly melodious voice of his harmonizing with the strings. That humming began singing- not even lyrics, just an almost absentminded tune that Galo couldn’t help but get a little distracted by. He found himself watching Lio as he played- Lio was strumming along with him, helping Galo through the song as he sang along softly, his expression peaceful and far away. 

Lio had a different kind of intensity right now. A gentle one, a quiet one.

The more they played, the more Galo was starting to feel like himself- the songs coaxed the apprehension out of him. It seemed that while Lio had initially chased away Galo’s confidence, he had just as easily reignited that composure once again. After just a few hours, Galo was almost comfortable with Lio.

Galo didn’t even notice he had begun singing along with him until Lio paused. 

In moments that self-consciousness was back. Galo let the lyrics die on his tongue as soon as he noticed that Lio had stopped singing. He tried not to look as flustered as he realized Lio was watching him in amusement.

“You know how to harmonize,” Lio asked, though it sounded more like a pleasantly surprised statement. “Who taught you?”

“Nobody, I guess,” Galo said honestly, trying to sound nonchalant. “I didn’t realize I was even doing it.”

Lio smiled. A kind smile, as if he were proud of Galo for this. “It’s nice,” he said simply.

Galo felt a rush of validation, hardly noticing that they had slipped into a valley of silence again.

Lio readjusted the guitar in his lap. “Anyway- should we-“

Lio was cut off by his phone’s notifications sounding off. “Shoot, I have to head out,” Lio said, giving Galo an apologetic look, “We can pick up where we left off some other time-“

Galo blinked, caught off guard. “You want to meet up again?” he said, sounding more disbelieving than he intended. 

“Sure. I had fun.”

“But aren’t you busy?”

“Yeah. But we can work something out. If you’re interested, that is.” He looked at Galo seriously. “I don’t want you to feel obligated or anything.”

“Me? You’re the one going out of your way to teach me this stuff!” Galo sputtered, “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Just message me. Now, sorry I have to kick you out, but I’m meeting with Guiera and Meis in a bit and they said if I don’t ‘get out more’ or whatever they’ll drag me out…” Lio noticed Galo’s paled expression and laughed. “Don’t worry, Galo. They’re dicks sometimes but their bark is worse than their bite. They’re nice once you get to know them.”

“Sure…” Galo replied sarcastically as he quickly packed his guitar and belongings back into its case. “Anyway- I owe you big time for this-“

Lio just rolled his eyes. “Don’t even start, Thymos. I told you it’s fine.”

Galo was about to ask ‘are you sure?’ but Lio’s expression made it clear this wasn’t negotiable.  
He slung his guitar over his shoulder and walked to the door where Lio was waiting for him. Again, it was as if they were old friends, as if they hadn’t been at odds with each other just the night before. 

“Thanks, Lio,” he said before he realized he had said it. 

Lio looked up at him, a little puzzled, a little amused.

“Sure. Now come on, I’ll walk you downstairs.”

*****

Galo Thymos stayed on Lio’s mind a long time after he had left. 

It was about an hour after Galo had said his (rather flustered) goodbyes and headed back to his apartment, practically radiating positive energy as he strode off, beaming like a fool. It was getting into the late afternoon, and Lio was cruising on his motorbike through the city’s winding highways. While riding his bike was quite possibly his favorite thing besides playing music, it unfortunately left him alone with his thoughts. As he speedily navigated through traffic, his mind kept circling back to Galo.

Lio admitted that the whole situation was… bizarre. He had first spoken to Galo on a whim, then impulsively invited him to a party before giving him an impromptu guitar lesson, all within the span of a day. There was something about Galo that brought out Lio’s own impulsiveness- hell, there were plenty of times during their jam session where Lio found himself saying and doing things without thinking.

Galo was just… easy to talk to. Easy to be around. Lio had expected Galo to be an impatient amateur, which he was, at times. But Lio had also been taken aback by how focused Galo could be, as if all of his energy was pouring into the music. 

Sure, Galo had a long way to go in terms of technique and skill. Yet, Lio noticed that the brash idiot had something that Lio wished he still had.

Galo played music not out of obligation, but for himself. He wanted to put himself out there just because- he didn’t want to hide within a persona he put on, and didn’t need to. 

Lio had that once, but the overwhelming popularity of the Mad Burnish had started to take a toll on that resolve. And yet, Galo sparked some of that within himself again. 

Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to him, Lio thought idly. Lio hated to admit it, but he really liked Galo’s company- it had been a while since he met someone that didn’t leave him cold. Lio was even surprised at himself when he suggested they meet up again soon.

Besides all of this, Lio did see some potential in him. Galo’s love for music and his uncanny determination made up for his less than perfect guitar playing. And it was nice to have someone to jam with in a casual setting rather than the usual band practice. Despite being the lead singer of a band, Lio usually wasn’t so comfortable with playing music one on one with people like that. There was an intimacy to singing in front of others especially, and yet, Lio had found himself singing with Galo without much thought. 

And Galo’s voice had stuck with him. There was still an unpolished edge to how he sang, but it was still more refined than his guitarist skills. Lio couldn’t shake the way Galo just jumped into harmonies either. Their voices went well together. They just… worked. Galo’s voice, his presence, was quickly becoming a song stuck in Lio’s head, a constant, pleasant melody in the back of his mind. 

Lio sighed wistfully as he sped onto the horizon, an unexpected longing lingering over him. 

Lio was already looking forward to the next time he would see Galo, whenever that would be. Hopefully, soon. He needed to hear that harmony again.

But until then, Galo’s voice would be another song playing on repeat in his head. 

A song that Lio would gladly sing along to.


	5. Track 4- it's the things i shouldn't see that always catch my eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo and Lio find their lives intertwined- a pleasant surprise for the both of them.
> 
> But of course, life always has other plans, throwing curveballs that will either bring them closer or complicate things beyond what anybody was expecting.

Lio wanted to see him again.

At least, to teach Galo more about music. Yes, that’s what it was, Galo kept reminding himself. Music lessons, and nothing more. But Lio’s offer to meet with him again left him giddy all the same.

A giddiness that his friends would catch on to. 

“So you just hung out. And played music,” Aina teased one afternoon. 

Galo rolled his eyes. “For the hundredth time, yes,” he sighed in exasperation. 

“What did he think of your playing?” Aina asked casually, the teasing tone still in her voice. Galo was secretly relieved that Lucia was busy that day so she wouldn’t be able to grill him on this- she and Aina seemed to have convinced themselves that Galo’s meetings with Lio were more like dates than simple guitar lessons.

Galo didn’t let his mind linger on the thought as he was sure he looked embarrassed enough as it already.

“He said my playing was…rough around the edges,” he replied honestly, “But he said my singing was nice.”

“Dude- you sing?” Aina’s voice was incredulous. 

Galo and glanced at her from where he was sitting on the living room floor, going through the miscellaneous contents of his guitar case. 

“Um. A little?” 

“Since when?! You’ve never sung when you’ve played for me and Lucia! Not seriously anyway,” Aina said in mock hurt. 

“Well, it’s not like you guys were ever really thrilled by my playing,” he muttered, before he realized he had said it. 

Aina was quiet for a moment. “Sorry, Galo,” she began gently, “We didn’t realize how serious you really were about this whole music thing.”

“Me neither,” Galo shot back with a laugh. He turned his attention back to sorting through the many pockets of his guitar case, where a seemingly endless mess of guitar picks, extra strings and other junk had somehow piled up over the years. He wanted to have everything somewhat organized for his next jam session with Lio- anything so that he didn’t look like an idiot fumbling with wires and things. Not that Lio had messaged him in the two days since they last met.

Whatever. He knew Lio was busy, and Galo wasn’t about to appear like the clingy one- even if the temptation to just give in and phone Lio on the spot was lingering in the back of his mind. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re getting something out of this, Aina encouraged. “Though if Lio Fotia says you have a nice voice, you can’t hide that from me and Lucia forever.”

“What the hell?”

“Galo, I’m just trying to be nice,” Aina reproached, taken aback.

Galo turned to her anxiously. “Sorry- it’s not you! Something’s missing from my case,” he explained, voice anxious and distracted as he dug furiously through the guitar case’s inside pocket.

“What’s missing?” Aina piped up, walking over to join him.

“The… the photo.”

“Huh?”

“The photo I always keep in my guitar case.”

Aina’s face paled. “Oh, Galo, I’m so sorry- are you sure?”

Galo practically turned the case inside out. How the hell could he lose it?! That photo was his good luck charm- ever since his parents gave him that guitar he was determined to keep some part of their memory with it at all times. 

It didn’t help that it was one of the only photos Galo had left of him with his parents.

And now it was gone. 

“Well, shit,” he sighed, feeling numb. Galo stopped rummaging through the case and simply stared at in in defeat.

He didn’t notice that Aina was crouching down beside him. “Maybe it fell out in another room. Or I can even check my place?”

Galo shook his head. 

“Oh! Maybe it’s at Lio’s?” she added, enthusiastically. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Galo felt cold dread wash over him. How would he bring it up with Lio? While he couldn’t deny that he wanted to get to know Lio better, asking Lio to look for this particular lost token was a level of personal that Galo was far from comfortable with.

What the hell was he supposed to text Lio in the first place? ‘Hey, can you look for something I might have dropped in your apartment? It’s just one of the last photos I have of my dead parents. Yeah, if you could grab that for me it would be great.’

“It’s okay, Aina. Don’t worry about it,” he said gently, “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”

Aina looked at him uneasily. “Really? I’m sure Lio would be nice enough to at least look.”

Galo did his best to give her a reassuring smile. “Maybe. I probably just dropped it somewhere around here.”

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“Always am!” He said lightly. “Thanks, Aina.”

She returned his uneasy smile and gave him a comforting hug. There weren’t a lot of people in Galo’s life that understood why that photo was so important to him. Besides his closest friends, nobody else knew what Galo had been through- how he had lost his parents at a young age, leaving him with no blood relatives for most of his formative years. 

He always considered himself lucky to have been given shelter and some semblance of stability after that childhood tragedy- After all, Kray was the one who had taken him in after Galo lost everything, and had been generous enough to provide for him up until this point, going as far as to give him a job at Club Machina. And while Aina and Lucia teased him constantly, they were some of the closest friends he’d ever had- he knew that when the chips were down, he could rely on them. Aina, Lucia and everyone else he considered a close friend was family he had found for himself. 

Still, Galo couldn’t shake the sudden pang of loss. 

*** 

Later that night, Galo lay awake in bed, numbly staring at the ceiling as his mind wandered aimlessly. He had nearly forgotten about contacting Lio again- should he just text him after all?

Galo turned over in bed and glanced at his phone sitting on his nightstand. The clock beside it read 1:30 in the morning, but Galo felt wide awake as ever. At the same time, the loss of that single photograph left him feeling empty- he couldn’t bring himself to pick up his phone, let alone message Lio. 

He rolled onto his other side and pulled the covers over his head. 

He would get over this, he always would. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t shake the feeling of mourning- it had been years since he had lost his parents. This would come to pass, it would have to. He would go back to being his usual loud, upbeat self, and finally find the courage to reach out to Lio again.

Lio.

He sighed miserably.

Things would have to wait until morning.

***

Lio checked his messages for what was probably the tenth time in an hour.

Why hadn’t Galo reached out to him yet? Did he not want to meet up again, after all?

“Boss?”

Lio snapped back to attention, slipping his phone back in his pocket.

Meis and Guiera were looking at him, puzzled. They were in the middle of band practice, and it was obvious that Lio was a little off his game.

“Is everything…okay?” Meis asked carefully.

Lio gave an apologetic half smile. “Yeah, sorry. Just distracted. “So. From the top?”

Lio readjusted his guitar that was slung over his shoulders and played a test chord. “So. From the top?”

He kept waiting for the others to join in, but glanced back at them in confusion when they didn’t immediately jump in.  
Guiera and Meis were looking at each other with concern before glancing back to Lio.

“Maybe we should call it quits for today,” Gueira suggested cautiously. Lio was about to protest, but Meis cut him off.

“We can take a break for a bit, Lio. You just seem kinda- tired, or something,” he told him. Guiera was already nodding in agreement.

“I can keep playing,” Lio insisted, biting back a flash of irritation, “It doesn’t matter.”

“It kind of does,” Guiera said firmly, “We need to have everything completely together now- Kray Foresight wants offer us a regular gig at the Inferno, remember? We’ll be meeting with him soon and we have to be prepared-“

Lio immediately felt a wave of unease wash over him. “We will? Since when?” he asked quietly, genuinely confused. Sure, it had been a busy past few days, but Lio would remember an appointment such as this. His bandmates must’ve noticed the hint of betrayal in Lio’s voice.

“We- well, he reached out to us last night,” Meis explained, his tone gentle, “We weren’t sure you got the message, but we thought it would be a good opportunity, you know?”

The unease didn’t leave. Sure, they had played Club Inferno just days before, and everything from the crowd to the venue had been great- and while Kray was very accommodating in giving them that last minute gig, there was something about that man’s whole demeanor that made Lio distrust him. 

“Come on, Lio, Kray’s got connections to some major record labels- we can’t just pass this up!” Guiera added. His bandmates looked at him hopefully, but Lio couldn’t help but feel that something was up. Kray had connections, a venue, and power in the music scene, and the Mad Burnish was just the band that someone like Kray would want on his club’s roster. 

There was something about Kray that reminded Lio of the dozens of people he met at afterparties- the power-hungry, manipulative types out to find young talent and use it for their own gain with complete disregard for the musician’s own wants and needs. Lio knew that Guiera and Meis wanted the band to move up in the world, and Lio did too- or so he thought for the longest time. It was only in the past few months of sudden rising, overwhelming popularity that Lio finally realized that he wanted things to slow down. But upon seeing the hopeful faces of his bandmates, Lio was not about to take that enthusiasm away from them.

“When’s the meeting?” He asked neutrally. Gueir and Meis’ expressions already showed relief as they proceeded to fill him in on the details he had somehow missed. Lio knew the whole point of the band was that the Mad Burnish was about all of them, not just himself. He would put his misgivings about Kray aside for them for the time being. 

Just what I need, Lio thought, miserably. While he had been anxiously awaiting a message from Galo, that suddenly felt like a small, faraway issue. The time he had spent with Galo felt like a safe, quiet moment in time where music wasn’t a job, but the hobby that Lio had once enjoyed and done entirely for himself. He found himself idly wondering what Galo would do in this situation.

So why don’t you just ask him? The voice of his conscience proposed. Lio shook it off with a chill. There were bigger things to focus on right now, even if he was slowly realizing that he already was starting to miss Galo somehow.

But of course, reality had to come crashing in. 

Like static interrupting a song that he desperately wanted to listen to. 

*** 

Riding back on his motorbike to his apartment, Lio felt an unexpected pang of loneliness. Guiera, Meis and himself usually hung out after band practice, but today they made it pretty clear that Lio should get some rest. He knew they only wanted the best for him, but the disappointing lack of progress they made during band practice as well as the fact that he had let down his two best friends was tolling on him. He had hoped the ride would help clear his head, but that unsatisfied, his own disappointment toward himself wouldn’t let go. 

He sped down the highway as golden glows bleed into the evening sky, feeling numb.

Lio was sure that the moment he stepped foot into his apartment, he would drop onto the couch and sleep for nine hours. And yet, as soon as he was home, his eyes landed on his collection of guitars that stood waiting for him in his living room. While his relationship with music was becoming strained sometimes, he hadn’t gotten the need to play out of his system for today. And so, before he knew what he was doing, Lio grabbed a black strat off its stand and immediately sat down to play it. 

He strummed it aimlessly, mulling over familiar chord progressions and humming random melodies along. It was funny- despite everything about his career that was looming over him- the future of his band, the greedy record labels, intimidating commitments to gigs- his mind once again wandered back to Galo Thymos. Lio hadn’t checked his phone yet. Sure, he could be the one to reach out first- it’s not like he didn’t have Galo’s number now. But an unfamiliar, shy hesitance seemed to be keeping him from it.

Lio barely noticed that he had been humming a new melody that he had never sung before. A melancholy, lonely tune that lyrics were quickly beginning to form around in his mind.  
Funny how songs always came to him when he was alone. 

He worked on the new beginnings of this song for a few more hours, playing late into the night before deciding to finally get some rest. As Lio went to place the guitar back on its stand, however, he noticed something lying on the floor just behind it. 

A small, square piece of paper or something. Picking it up, he realized it was an old, faded polaroid photograph, the edges of it slightly burnt and worn. 

He didn’t recognize the trio in the photograph- a happy, smiling couple and a small child that appeared to be their son. The mother and son were holding acoustic guitars, the father with their arms around them, grinning proudly.

Lio’s breath caught in his throat as he realized one person in the photograph wasn’t so unfamiliar, after all. 

Squinting, he took a closer look. The sepia tones of the photograph were rather faint, but the boy at the center of the picture, with his goofy smile and carefree demeanour was undoubtedly recognizable.

Lio’s mind spun. “Is that-?“

Of course, Lio’s phone decided to buzz right at that moment, nearly startling him out of his skin.

He flinched at grabbed his phone, not daring to hope that it would be a certain someone finally reaching out.

‘Hey. Did you still wanna meet up sometime?”

Lio found himself smiling at Galo’s message. Simple. Straight to the point. He liked that. No, Lio didn’t want to appear over eager to spend time with the idiot again- he still wanted to retain some semblance of the cool, mildly aloof persona he so often put out there.

That didn’t stop him from replying immediately. ‘Sure. When?’

And just like that, the anxiety of the hours before slipped away.

*** 

Late that Friday afternoon, Lio was getting ready to head out to meet Gueira and Meis at Club Inferno. Perhaps forging connections with someone as powerful as Kray Foresight wouldn’t be so bad- at least, that’s what his bandmates insisted. 

And yet, that wasn’t the big thing on his mind. Galo had said he would drop by again later that evening for another jam session- if Lio had things his way, he would’ve skipped the whole meeting at Club Inferno altogether. He still wasn’t sure about telling Guier and Meis why he would be ‘busy’ later without them getting the wrong idea. Or the right one. Lio wasn’t about to sit around and dwell on that for the moment. 

As he headed toward the door, Lio noticed the photograph he had found earlier, lying almost forgotten on the coffee table.

_I still have no idea what this is doing in my house, _Lio thought, hestitantly picking up the photo. I guess it must’ve fallen out of Galo’s guitar case last time he was here…__

____

____

Lio subconsciously slipped the photograph into his jacket’s pocket. He supposed it didn’t really matter how it ended up in his apartment- what really mattered was that Galo would want this back.

And so, he headed out with equal parts dread and nervous excitement hovering over him. At least he had something to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna add the next big part in this chapter but it started to run a little long and I figured this chapter would be better off on its own since it's focusing on the characters now! and by that i mean,,,,, time to hint at Sad Backstories and Feelings lmao  
> Backstories and dynamics are still very based on the movie, but there's no powers in this AU!
> 
> Also! I'm thinking that this fic is gonna work like a jukebox musical (rather than me writing original lyrics for the fic i am Not Ready for that ^ ^;;) So any song recs are welcome!
> 
> Thanks for all the kind comments! They're always appreciated <3
> 
> I'm also thinking of drawing an art for this fic! Follow my social medias @shiverspooky for both band hell and promare hell >:D
> 
> Chapter title/song insp- dirty laundry by all time low


	6. Track 5- you were never mine (so goodnight and nevermind)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are made, and Galo is forced to reevaluate where his loyalties lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooookay so!
> 
> i genuinely have no idea how Actual Bands and Gigs work and I'm mostly just writing off the top of my head (writing fanfic helps me destress lol) but i'm doing my best!
> 
> Shorter chapter this time around, I just figured this scene should be its own part ^ ^
> 
> ALSO! this fic may have a bunch of angst but I guarantee it's angst with a happy ending!!
> 
> Thanks for all the nice comments, those are always appreciated! <3
> 
> chapter title/song insp- nvm by simple creatures

Galo woke up that day determined to once again convince Kray to let him play a set. 

He didn’t want to sit around moping over the lost photograph anymore- his parents sure wouldn’t want him to. Plus, despite how miserable he had felt two nights before, Galo hadn’t forgotten the thrill he felt when Lio described his voice as “nice.” Or how Lio had told him that his playing was “better,” even if it was “rough around the edges.” He had called Galo a fast learner, despite everything. That was enough to convince Galo that he would have to talk to Kray again- Sure, it had only been a few days since his first lesson with Lio, but Galo was already raring to perform.

Galo spent his day at Club Inferno, helping clean up from a wild show that had happened the night before. While Galo was technically one of the on-sight EMTs, he did a lot of odd jobs around the place. He didn’t mind helping Kray out after all that man had provided for him growing up.

The other cleaners headed out of the venue hall after a long day’s work, but Galo stayed behind. It was an odd feeling, sitting alone on an empty stage, looking down at the bare floor that should have held a crowd. The vacant silence of the room was unsettling. _I’ll change all that when I finally get to perform, _Galo told himself. With that, he headed out of the room to find Kray, to convince him once and for all.__

__Galo was not expecting to find Kray having a heated discussion with Lio when he _did _find him. He noticed Guiera and Meis standing off to the side, watching their exchange with unease. He didn’t approach right away- he just froze, confused. Were the Mad Burnish doing a show again?___ _

____Unsure of what to do with himself, Galo turned to walk away as the conversation seemed to wind down to some sort of terse agreement. He didn’t want to eavesdrop on this. Not really, anyway._ _ _ _

____Just his luck, Galo couldn’t get out of sight fast enough._ _ _ _

____“Galo…?” Lio’s surprised voice called after him._ _ _ _

____Hesitantly, Galo turned to face him. “Hey! Uh- what are you doing here?” he asked awkwardly, feeling the other three’s curious stares on him._ _ _ _

____“Band business,” Lio said simply. “What are you doing here?”_ _ _ _

____“I uh, I work here,” Galo explained. Kray glanced between them._ _ _ _

____“You two know each other?” the man asked neutrally._ _ _ _

____“You could say that,” Lio and Galo said in an uncanny unison._ _ _ _

____Kray nodded before turning his attention back to Lio. “Anyway. I’ll keep my offer open for now. I think it’s best if you spent some time considering it.”_ _ _ _

____Lio nodded, a cold, subtle gesture that made it clear to Galo that Lio was not fond of Kray Foresight._ _ _ _

____Galo completely forgot to ask Kray about his set, too distracted by Lio’s presence to notice that Kray had walked off at a brisk pace._ _ _ _

____“Galo?”_ _ _ _

____Lio’s voice snapped Galo back to full attention._ _ _ _

____“Sorry, you were saying something?” Galo did his best to sound casual, desperately trying to ignore the snickers from Gueira and Meis. Luckily, a quick glare from Lio seemed to shut them up._ _ _ _

____“I was asking if you still wanted a lesson today,” Lio repeated, “I know we were supposed to meet up later, but we’re both here now, anyway.”_ _ _ _

____Galo flushed unexpectedly at this. _I’ll just ask Kray another time, _Galo resolved. Convincing Kray to give him a chance to perform was suddenly not his number one priority.___ _ _ _

______“Sure! I just need to grab my guitar, it’s in the back room-“ Galo trailed off as he noticed Lio’s bandmates exchanging looks. Their expressions seemed to change from shock to… a sort of amused understanding._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Gee, Boss, you didn’t tell us you had any _plans, _Guiera said smoothly, giving Meis a nudge.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Must’ve slipped my mind,” Lio replied, though Galo was almost sure he could sense the faintest embarrassment in his tone. “You two go on ahead. We’ll discuss this later.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Despite Lio’s serious attitude, the tension from their obviously strained conversation with Kray moments earlier seemed to dissolve._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Of course,” Meis chided as he and Guiera headed for the club’s exit. “See you around, rookie,” he called to Galo with a casual wave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Galo had no idea how to respond._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Once Guiera and Meis were out of earshot, Lio gave an exhasperated sigh. “Ignore them,” he apologized, “I haven’t told them I’ve been giving you lessons. They probably still thought I was joking about it until now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Are you sure today is a good time? I don’t wanna get in the way of- well, band business,” Galo said, honestly. A flash of irritation suddenly radiated off of Lio._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Don’t remind me,” Lio muttered irritably, “Kray Foresight is the last man I want to be negotiating with right now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Galo stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong with Kray?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lio whipped around at him. “What _isn’t wrong with him?” Lio snapped, “He wants to take control of my band, Galo. And he’s tricking my two best friends into handing that control over in exchange for some sketchy as hell playing deals and some false hope of signing onto a record label.”__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Galo was taken aback. Kray? Manipulating Lio’s band? That was the man who had given Galo everything he needed after he lost it all, the man who had not only given Galo a home but a job and behind the scenes access to the greatest venue in the whole city. “Maybe you’re misunderstanding,” Galo rationalized, “Kray’s been so accommodating for me-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________“Yeah, well, I’m not you, Thymos,” Lio shot back, “Some of us have real responsibilities to deal with.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Now Galo felt his carefully constructed rationality begin to falter. “I’m just _saying, _maybe Kray is willing to talk it out and give you a better… _deal, or something,” he replied hotly.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Lio only rolled his eyes. “That’s exactly what Guira and Meis are thinking,” he spat, bitterness still in his voice. “Kray only wants us to play here, and wants to control every move our band makes from here on in. He doesn’t give a damn about what we want. I managed to talk him out of most of it, but now he’s just gonna loom over us until we give in.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Gueira and Meis seem sold on it,” Galo reasoned, again straining to keep the irritation out of his voice, “They obviously see some good here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________That violet intensity was back in Lio’s hard gaze. “They sense something _wrong. _They’ve got stars in their eyes but they’re not morons.They thought- we thought this could be a good idea until… well, that Kray Foresight can end a career as easily as he can start it.” Lio’s voice was dangerously cold.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Galo was stunned. “What…what do you mean?” He hated how small his voice was, but with the image of Kray, his hero, being shattered by the minute, he couldn’t help it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“That man has connections, Galo,” Lio explained vehemently, “Remember all those judgy assholes at Club Machina? He could turn all of them against us in days.” He emphasized the last word with an unexpected intensity. “If we try to resist any control over our music, Kray could easily spread whatever rumours he wants around that crowd to destroy our reputation and the band will go back to being a fucking pipe dream.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Mind spinning, Galo was silent for a moment. He was suddenly horrendously aware of how little he really knew about the man he had felt indebted to for so long. Sure, he knew that Kray owned one of the most popular clubs in the entire city. And he knew that Kray was beyond picky when it came to what bands he allowed to play. But Kray’s power over their music itself? Was he really part of that condemning, condescending crowd that Galo had met at Lio’s party?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Galo shook his head in disbelief. “No way,” he whispered, half to himself. If Kray, or anyone for that matter ever tried to take control over Galo’s music, he wouldn’t go down without a fight. That music was his. It was part of his soul, his being- it was a burning fire that kept him alive. The thought of having that ripped away from him was devastating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Maybe you should get to know a little more about your boss, “Lio huffed, “That guy’s nothing but trouble.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Despite all of the horrid revelations Galo had just been confronted with, those words stung. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, Lio, I really am,” Galo’s voice was as strained as a guitar string pulled a little too taut. “But Kray has done a lot for me. I owe him more than I care to say.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Of course,” Lio said flippantly, “I didn’t think you would understand.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________That straining string keeping his emotions in line finally snapped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Don’t _fucking talk to me like I’m stupid, _Galo snarled, “I’m _sick _of that.”_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Lio was immediately silent, a flash of remorse breaking his glare. “I can talk to Kray for you, Lio. I want to help. I want to believe you. Hell, maybe I already do,” Galo’s voice was shaking now. “But I won’t have you taking this shit out on me. I was going to go talk to Kray anyway, I was gonna ask him about letting me play again- and maybe, I dunno, maybe I could ask him to reconsider whatever _deal _has you so pissed off. But I won’t get in your way.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Galo-“ Lio’s voice was a lot softer now, but Galo stood shaking, glaring at the ground, unable to bring himself to look at Lio._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Forget it. I’m sorry I wasted so much of your time.” Before he realized it, Galo was already storming away. Lio was calling out to him, but Galo needed to be alone. To hell with the lesson. To hell with everything._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________His mind spun- Despite all of Lio’s harsh revelations, Galo was even more surpised at how quickly he wanted to believe him. It scared him, but what Lio said about Kray was frighteningly possible. Kray had always refused- no, dismissed- Galo’s want to perform. Galo always believed it was to encourage himself to improve his playing, to tighten his skills so that he could play like the stars he looked up to. How obvious that flawed fantasy was now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Kray didn’t care about him. He just didn’t want Galo to ruin Club Inferno’s reputation. Instead, he wanted people like Lio, like the Mad Burnish- not to just bring in crowds, but to bring him power._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________If what Lio said was true, then to Kray, music was just a tool._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________For Galo, that was the biggest betrayal of all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________That was bad enough without his argument with Lio._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________Lio. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________With a pang of regret, Galo knew he had overstepped. The band’s business was none of his own. And yet, here he was. _I shouldn’t have gotten involved, _Galo thought miserably.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________It wasn’t until Galo stepped into his apartment that he realized he had left Lio at Club Machina without saying goodbye._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	7. Track 6- manage me/ i'm a mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo and Lio go their separate ways in wake of their first major argument, each fearing their new and carefully constructed relationship has crumbled before it really started. And yet, it seems that it can take a few more broken pieces to put everything back together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI HELLO I'M ALIVE
> 
> things have been super busy for the past month, I've been working on art and commissions and now summer classes! (guess who's taking an anime class?? ME BABEY CAN'T WAIT TO PREACH ABOUT PROMARE)
> 
> ANYWAY apologies for having to put this fic on the backburner for a bit! The romance is still slow going but we're getting there! I know i kinda left on an emotional cliffhanger last time, but hopefully this chapter brings the Soft Boy Energy we need ^ ^
> 
> Stay safe out there everyone, and thanks for reading!
> 
> Chapter title/song insp- weightless by all time low
> 
> (can you tell all time low is my favourite band yet,,,,,,,,, )

Lio had written songs where he had spoken of weightlessness, the jarring sensation you get when the world is pulled from under you. 

He had never really felt it, but he had assumed it would feel like a good thing. 

Now, he realized he had no idea what he was talking about before.

Weightlessness wasn’t always a euphoric rush. It wasn’t guaranteed to be an invigorating flood of adrenaline.

It could also be a numb, disorienting sensation that threatened to overwhelm him. A rush of guilt, regret, abandonment… 

He didn’t know he could feel this way until he watched Galo storm off, leaving Lio in the quiet, lonely void of his own unfortunate creation. 

Lio couldn’t bring himself to chase after him- he called out, but he knew that Galo didn’t hear him. And following Galo would just act to chase him further away. 

It wasn’t as if Galo’s actions weren’t justified. Sure, it was a disagreement- people had those. And yet somehow Lio had decided in the moment that the best way to deal with it would be to childishly lash out at the one person who made him happy. The person who had not only given Lio a new perspective on music, but a newfound purpose as a human being.

Now that person was walking away, each step echoing, reverberating, piercing. 

Lio wasn’t sure how long he stood there after Galo left.

His phone buzzing was the only thing to snap him out of his daze.

‘Hey Boss, how’s it going? ;)’

Lio felt a twinge of tired irritation at Guiera’s teasing tone.

‘It’s whatever. I’m gonna head home now,” Lio typed back in an attempt to sound neutral.

‘You alright? The rookie didn’t do anything stupid, did he?’ Leave it to his bandmates to know immediately when something was up.

‘No. I’m the stupid one, this time.’ 

With a sigh, Lio hit send and turned his phone off. He needed to get out of here. An evening ride would help. They always did.

*****

“Fucking DAMN IT-“

Galo mentally kicked himself soon after he had gotten home upon realizing he had left his guitar back at Club Inferno.

He didn’t need Lio’s lessons right now. He didn’t need his music to sound _good. _He just needed to play. Unpolished sound would numb him tonight.__

__Plus, playing would keep his mind occupied away from thoughts of Lio Fotia._ _

__He headed out again, having calmed down some from his interaction with him before. Okay, so what if Lio had torn down Galo’s view of his hero? Lio must have his own side to things, Galo rationalized, though irritably. And besides,_ _

__if it was bothering himself so much, Galo knew he could go to Kray directly to clear things up._ _

__He gave a bitter sigh. Despite Lio snapping at him, talking down to him, lashing out in a moment of anger, Galo still wanted to help him. He needed to work things out with Lio, regardless of their petty disagreement. Despite the flaring anger, Galo felt there was something deeper, something justified behind it. Perhaps he would learn of it once they both cooled down._ _

__Galo did his best to silence the quiet, nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept telling him that Lio wouldn’t talk to him again. Maybe Lio really was the harsh, moody persona he put out on stage. Maybe…_ _

__No. Galo had seen the other side of him. The quiet, contemplative side of Lio that Galo had felt so privileged to meet. He wouldn’t minimalize Lio to a two-dimensional persona. He couldn’t._ _

__When he arrived at Club Inferno, Galo made his usual way around the back rather than the main entrance. It was late, but stepping into the gross back alleyway and strolling past the club’s dumpsters didn’t really do much to dampen his spirits any further.  
Fumbling with his keys, Galo noticed what appeared to be a random piece of damaged metal out of the corner of his eye._ _

___Damn, people really will leave whatever they want back here, _he thought disapprovingly.__ _ _

____He noticed movement further down the alley. Galo froze. The piece of metal was part of a trail of other pieces of wreckage, seemingly leading to…_ _ _ _

____“Oh no.”_ _ _ _

____*****_ _ _ _

____Lio wasn’t sure what had happened._ _ _ _

____One minute, he’s jumping onto the back of his trusty motorbike he had parked outside the club, ready for an evening of aimless, mind-numbing rounds about town. Next thing he knows, the usually flawless machine seems to freak out with a mind of its own, its engine going haywire and slamming into a nearby brick wall, totalling it and throwing Lio a few feet away onto the cold, uncaring concrete. Once again, weightlessness proved to be an ominous sensation, overwhelming him and then leaving as soon as it came._ _ _ _

____He lay there for a moment, too dazed to quite notice the painful burning sensation of skinned and scuffed elbows. Thank goodness he was wearing a helmet._ _ _ _

____It was the sight of his ruined bike that practically threw him into dilerium. _Of course this is how my day ends, _his fogged mind thought miserably before a familiar, panicked voice called out toward him.___ _ _ _

______*****_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lio’s memories from just moments before felt oddly… foggy. Distant, somehow. Unreal._ _ _ _ _ _

______He had lashed out at Galo. Galo had left. Lio had meant to ride home from there, but then… Oh right, bike wreck. Hitting the pavement. Galo again._ _ _ _ _ _

______And now Lio found himself sitting awkwardly on the cot of Club Inferno’s first aid room._ _ _ _ _ _

______“-need you to tell me what happened,” Galo prompted, holding him gently by the shoulders with an unusal worry tinging his typically confident gaze._ _ _ _ _ _

______Lio blinked before he realized Galo had been questioning him this whole time. “I… I’m not sure,” he admitted, “My bike… it was fine earlier…” Lio shook his head. He didn’t want to think about the wreck right now._ _ _ _ _ _

______“We’ll sort that out,” Galo assured him, “But right now it’s you I’m worried about. You didn’t hit your head or anything?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lio was sure of that at least. “Had my helmet, I promise,” he soothed, “Just some scrapes and bruises.” He gave a grimace as he motioned to his scraped-up knees._ _ _ _ _ _

______Galo was already retrieving some gauze and disinfectant from a first aid kit. “This shouldn’t hurt,” Galo explained, somewhat formally, “I’m just gonna clean these and get you patched up. Nothing broken, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Lio shook his head. The scrapes stung, but even from his foggy memories he knew he was able to stumble here without much issue. He’d broken enough bones in the past to know what it would’ve felt like, so his current injuries were forgettable by comparison._ _ _ _ _ _

______He watched silently as Galo worked, the other’s blue eyes bright and focussed. With a pang, Lio realized the only other time he had seen that determination was when Galo was playing music._ _ _ _ _ _

______Galo worked quietly and efficiently, his touch gentle and practiced. _It’s no surprise, I suppose, _Lio thought idly, _This sort of thing is his day job, after all. _______ _ _ _ _

__________“I still can’t believe you just walked away with cuts and bruises,” Galo said shakily, “based on the bike’s condition…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio felt a pang of regret at the thought of the wreck that was his motorbike. Galo must have noticed it, because he trailed off into a mildly uncomfortable silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It’s a risk that comes with riding it,” Lio said eventually, forcing himself to sound nonchalant. “I knew it could happen, and it did. I’ll just have to make do until I can get it fixed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Galo nodded subtly as he finished bandaging Lio’s knees. “Well- there you go. Does it feel better at all?” Unease still tinged the edges of Galo’s voice.  
Glancing over his newly bandaged wounds, he tentatively stood up. His knees still burned with pain, but he had been through worse. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Perfect. Thanks, Galo, I owe you one,” Lio replied, managing a smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Don’t worry about it,” Galo began. Lio moved to collect his things where Galo had put them haphazardly in a corner of the room. As he did, Lio could feel the other watching him. “How are you gonna get home?” Galo asked, voice worn with concern. While Galo had finished up on the bandages, Lio had called someone to arrange getting his wreck of a bike towed to a repair shop. It was in no condition to take any rides for a long time. He felt a rising dread at the thought of the long commute home.s_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I was just gonna call a cab, I guess,” Lio said at last._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“We can take one together, if you want!” Galo suggested, a sudden note of enthusiasm in his voice. “I mean, my place is more or less along the way…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio felt an unexpected fond smile come over him. “That would be nice,” he said quietly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Their conversation trailed into a heartbeat of heavy silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Lio-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Galo-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The two of them paused before exchanging sheepish looks. Galo was watching the floor, his usual confidence once again evaporated. Lio took this moment of hesitation to spill the words that had been pounding in his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Galo, I… I’m sorry. About everything.” Lio spoke in a quiet, remorseful voice that he himself was not used to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Don’t mention it-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No. Galo, I’m sorry. I just- I was stressed out earlier, I lashed out at you, and I just- I wasn’t thinking-“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I shouldn’t have pushed you! And it’s not like I didn’t snap at you too, remember?” Lio’s heart ached at Galo’s sudden, upbeat tone. Lio didn’t feel worthy of forgiveness. Not yet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio gave a long sigh. “I handled all of this like a child, Galo. You- you deserve so much more respect than that,” Lio said earnestly. Galo looked at him in surprise. “I mean it,” Lio insisted. “Plus, you saved me back there. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dragging my sorry ass home on my own.” Lio shuddered. “Stumbling around the streets with bloody knees. What a great look for the lead singer of the Mad Burnish.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Galo gave a small laugh. A real one, a kind, jovial sound that could melt any tension that suffocated the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Okay, okay. Pathetic, I know,” Lio mused, a genuine smile of relief tugging at the corners of his mouth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Actually,” Galo said with a teasing grin, “I think that’d be a pretty badass look.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio threw on his jacket, resisting the urge to wince as his injuries burned in pain. “I’d look pretty damn stupid, Galo,” Lio snarked, his lighthearted sarcasm returning, “Stupidity is attractive now, I’m sure.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey, I’m living proof of that,” Galo said with a wink._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio thought his pained knees would give out from under him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He looked away to hide a surely noticeable blush._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What are you doing back here, anyway?” Lio asked nonchalantly, praying that wouldn’t bring up their previous argument again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Galo wandered over to a guitar case propped up against the wall. Lio hadn’t noticed it before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I forgot this here after… earlier. I wanted to get it back.” Galo’s voice hesitantly trailed off as he slung the case over his shoulder. “Anyway, should we go? It’s pretty late now…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lio ignored that last comment. “I… I’d still be down to have another lesson with you sometime,” Lio began tentatively, “If you’re still interested, that is.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Flickering eagerness and enthusiasm returned to Galo’s bright gaze, and he gave Lio a gentle, forgiving smile. Lio returned it in earnest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’d love that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The pair headed out, leaving their argument from earlier behind them. Whatever disagreements that still lingered would be dealt with eventually._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________For now, Lio let himself revel in the warmth of having Galo near him once again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
